Ghosts in Stone of Dragodid

Visiting Dragodid village was for long a desire of mine and I was waiting for getting to Vis driving a proper off road vehicle as some of the roads did not seem perfectly accessible. Which I was wrong about, later I will find out. There is always a steep trail straight from Komiza as an alternative (cc 50 minutes long) but I always want to cover as much territory as possible so hikes are usually not an option when exploring specific sites. This summer, I finally got to the island in my trusty Toyota Hilux.

Location of Dragodid

Dragodid is a tiny village pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It is located in the hills overlooking Komiza on Vis Island. Dragodid was founded some 200 years ago by Suić family and it is the youngest of all nearby settlements like Rudine, Konjska glava… but it soon became the center of them all. The village was alive till 1950s when the last people left and it is only rarely used today by the locals escaping crowds of the summer or by those folks who still grow vines here, pick rosemary or have their bee hives.

There was a rule that the family builds a house for the oldest son and the younger ones stay with the parents. That’s why there are two rows of houses but also several other buildings like stables, wine storage rooms… and two large cisterns for rain water. One of them is still beautifully preserved:

The Houses of Dragodid

All houses have been built using the same traditional technique of stone building with roughly carved blocks of stone of about 70-80 cm. The roofs were also done of flat pieces of stone put on wooden construction. Each house was about 60 – 70 sq m (cca 650 – 750 sq ft). The division of space was simple: 1/3 for kitchen, 1/3 for wine barrels and the last third was a sleeping area.

Udruga Dragodid

Today, Dragodid is also known for a wonderful group of enthusiasts who took its name for their NGO (udruga in Croatian) that takes care of our heritage in stone. Thanks to their effort numerous miles of stone walls and buildings have been restored all over the coast. Here is their very active web page: http://www.dragodid.org/category/eng/

Today, Dragodid is rarely visited but it makes a great destination for year round hikes from Komiza. There are other villages and some fabulous panorama points so I also explored Sv. Bjož hamlet that still has few inhabitants.

Abandoned Sv. Bjoz villageOskorusa or Service tree at Sv Bjoz

Sv Bjoz

Of course, I had no clue where I was going so I managed to scratch myself properly going through some blackberry bushes. But it was worth it. Sv. Bjos is another abandoned, hidden gem.

There is a short walk to the tiny church of St. Blasius (Sv. Bjoz) which offers some stunning views of Komiza – by many, the most picturesque town of the Dalmatian coast. Ok, my wife’s family is from there so I am biased but it is seriously charming and unique.

Sv. Blasius church above KomizaSomeone left a gift next to churchStunning views of Komiza

Dragodid is just one of many wonderful and charming villages on our coast but, like all of them, it has a special story of hardships and life much simpler but harder than ours.

Spider web in DragodidRoof tiles left for some better timesOld tin plate

Next to Komiza, on the other side, few years back, we visited the abandoned military base which is also a great place to visit: https://secretcroatia.blog/2014/11/29/military-tunnels-of-vis-island/. If you are looking for a great hiking trip while in Croatia, a place to learn of traditional life or just a very atmospheric abandoned village, Dragodid should not be missed.